Useful Pages

Monday, December 31, 2012

Thinking about your New Year’s Resolution for 2013? Check out the New Year, New You display on the second floor on the library!

Have trouble keeping your New Year’s Resolutions? Check out these free apps that will help keep you on target.

Health & Fitness

My Fitness Pal AppWith MyFitnessPal's free Calorie Counter, you keep a food diary that shows how much you can eat and still lose weight, and you'll have it with you everywhere you go.

Fitocracy (iPhone Only) A fitness app that uses social tools and gamification to make working out easier. By automatically including friends and adding a similar level of competition that you’d find in a video game, Fitocracy keeps users focused on their goals without having to focus on the pain of working out regularly.

Breathe2Relax AppBreathe2Relax is a portable stress management tool. Built on the iPhone mobile app platform, Breathe2Relax is a hands-on diaphragmatic breathing exercise.

Finance

Mint.com appMint.com's free app helps you get a handle on how much money is coming in, and how much goes out. With the app, you can enter purchases as you make them to keep an accurate account of spending.

Organization

Astrid.comLists are your best friend when it comes keeping a resolution -- and even more valuable if your resolution is to get organized. Todoroo's free Astrid app keeps track of your work and personal to-dos, and syncs them across all the devices in your life (smartphone, tablet and computer). You can speak new entries instead of spending the time typing, and even can make lists public to share with friends.

Reading more

Goodreads.comDiscover and share books you love onGoodreads, the world's largest site for readers and book recommendations!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

A few weeks ago, the New York Times Book Review changed its
list of Young Adult Best Sellers to more accurately reflect the landscape of
Young Adult Literature. The list now separates
out “Middle Grade” Literature and “Young Adult”

Youth:

Our Youth Books are located in the Quigley Youth Room, on
the first floor of the library, within the Children’s Room.

The Call Numbers in the catalog look like so:

Young Adult:

Our Young Adult books are those books that focus on high
school and “older” issues and often center around a character that can be
classified as a “Young Adult.” Our Young Adult books are located on the second
floor, to the left of reference desk, next to the Graphic Novels and Science
Fiction sections.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

All are welcome to join the Friday Morning Book Group at the Main Library on the third Friday of every month from 10-11AM. We will meet next on January 18 in the History Room for a discussion of the memoir Paris : A Love Story by award winning journalist and author Kati Marton. Copies of the book and audiobook are available at the Reference Desk on the second floor for checkout.
We look forward to seeing you!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

What do Henry Fonda, Benito Mussolini, T.S. Eliot, William Shakespeare, Raskolnikov, Flash Gordon, Nietzsche, Marx, de Sade, Plato, Theodore Roosevelt, Lot, Washington Irving, Juan Peron, Gandhi, Tarzan and Einstein have in common? To make it easy for you to spot the pattern, what do So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star, Thing of Beauty, Porno, The Right Address, Infinite Jest, Cat's Meow and The Coldest Winter Ever have in common? Alright, alright! One last chance...Mel Brooks, Cuisinart, Central Park, Dragnet, Grey Poupon mustard, New Republic and the Cannes Festival. No, I guess they're not really knowable. (I'd like to meet the person who DOES make the connections!)
The first set of names are people mentioned in Catch-22. The books listed all contain a reference to Calvin Klein. Last are the names, places and things found in Nora Ephron's Heartburn. How do I know this? Small Demons is a project designed to ferret out just those kind of details from thousands of books. At their website you can find 3 books that mention Herbie Hancock's Rockit, 1255 books that mention Cadillac, or all the names, places and "things" found in Hardship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro. Check out the review on the ALA website and for sure, check out this unique website.
--RL

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for friends or family? The Wellesley Free Library staff members are here to offer some suggestions!

Jason from Reference Suggests….

Ender’s Game

By Orson Scott Card

Ender’s game is a great Science Fiction book for any age! This book will be made into a movie starring Harrison Ford in 2013, making it great for any friend or relative who likes to read the book before they see the movie.

Marian from Children’s Department Suggests…

Norman Rockwell’s Christmas Book

Norman Rockwell’s Christmas contains stories, poems, carols and recipes by famous authors along with 120 illustrations by Rockwell. Great for Rockwell fans, but also a special gift for anyone who loves Christmastime.

Joellen from Circulation Suggests….

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Arranged by: Dan Fox

This beautifully illustrated book contains musical scores of all of your favorite holiday songs. A beautiful gift for anyone!

Anne From Reference Suggests…

State By State: A Panoramic Portrait of America

Edited by: Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey

From the bestselling editors of "The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup" comes an American road trip in book form: original writing on all 50 states by 50 of America's finest novelists, journalists, and essayists. A fun gift for anyone on your holiday shopping list!

Farouqua from Children’s Department Suggests...

Just Kids

By Patti Smith

Smith's evocative, honest, and moving coming-of-age story reveals her extraordinary relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Part romance, part elegy, "Just Kids" is about friendship in the truest sense, and the artist's calling.

Lisa from Technical Services Suggests…

Appalachian Trail

By Bill Bryson

The only illustrated book officially published with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, The Appalachian Trail explores this legendary footpath in detail: with a foreword by Bill Bryson and filled with more than 300 spectacular contemporary images, as well as unpublished historical photos, documents, and maps from the ATC archives.

Lisa also suggests...

Upstairs and Downstairs

By Sarah Warwick

Upstairs and Downstairs gives readers an inside look at a regular day in an upper-crust English home in the Edwardian era. The book includes real historical accounts from both masters and servants. Fans of the hit show Downton Abbey would love to receive this gift!

Megan the Intern Suggests...

J. R. R. Tolkien by Michael White

This biography looks at Tolkien's work as a teacher, his relationship with his publisher, the formation of the group the Inklings, and the continuing impact of Tolkien's works.

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter

The author of "The Brideshead Generation" and "The Inklings" was given unrestricted access to all of Tolkien's papers for this biography of the author of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings". 14 photos.

With the release of the film The Hobbit this holiday season any Lord of the Rings fan would love to receive either of these books as a gift!

Elise from Administration Suggests...

Playaways! This holiday season give your loved one their favorite book on a playaway. A playaway is a small audio player that holds a complete audiobook. Portable and easy to use, playaways make a great gift for anyone! If you love this format, come see our large selection of playaways at the Wellesley Free Library!

Kat from Children’s Department Suggests...

Tangled Weds: How False Statements are Undermining America

By James B. Stewart

A bestselling author presents an investigation of our era's most high-profile perjurers, revealing the alarming extent of this national epidemic. With many prosecutors, investigators, and participants speaking for the first time, "Tangled Webs" goes behind the scene of the trials of media and homemaking entrepreneur Martha Stewart; top White House political adviser Lewis "Scooter" Libby; home-run king Barry Bonds; and Wall Street money manager Bernard Madoff. This book is a great gift for anyone who loves non-fiction!

Tyson from Reference Suggests...

2312 By Kim Stanley Robinson

The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. But a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

It's Holiday shopping time and you may want to check out the best books of the year to give to your best friend or a loving family member for those long winter evenings? Try the following recommendations from popular lists!